Especially in bows of higher draw strength, drawing the string of a bow produces torque or a tendency for the bow grip to twist in the hand of the archer. When the arrow is released the torque twists the grip in the opposite direction causing deflection of the arrow path or oscillation of the arrow, both of which affect the accuracy of the shot. Although thicker grip sections are desirable from the comfort standpoint, such thicker sections act to increase hand contact and the consequent torque on the bow. To eliminate this amplified torque tendency, the conventional wisdom is to make the grip section of the riser narrow and thin, thus reducing the amount of hand contact with the bow. While this solution may reduce the torque on the bow, thin grips are uncomfortable and more difficult to grasp securely. Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a thicker and more comfortable archery bow handle, but at the same time reduce the effect of torque on the bow.
The problem created by bow torque has been recognized in U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,495 for Bow Grip Assembly. This disclosure represents one effort to solve the problem. The '495 patent provides a pivotal handgrip that is mounted to the bow by an intermediate device that is snap fitted onto the bow over a bearing assembly that is attached to the bow riser. While the bow grip of the '495 achieves its stated objectives, the needle bearings that are a basic element of the bearing assembly can not tolerate the forces created in high draw strength bows.
Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a pivotable handle for an archery bow that relies exclusively on high strength ball bearings to support the handgrip's pivotal function in high draw strength bows.